SportsDigest

Staff and Wire reports

INDIANAPOLIS - Tulane is heading into the NCAA baseball tournament with the No. 1 national seed and plenty of confidence.

The Green Wave (50-9), ranked No. 1 in at least one of the major national polls for all but three weeks this season, were selected as the top seed for the 64-team NCAA Division I college baseball tournament Monday.

"This is a credit to our kids," coach Rick Jones said. "They performed all year, had preseason accolades and it's not easy to go out every day when you know you're going to get the 'A' game of every other team you play."

Tulane, with Brian Bogusevic and Micah Owings both starring on the mound and at the plate, opens against Southern as one of the hosts for the 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals that begin Friday. Louisiana-Lafayette and Alabama are also in Tulane's bracket.

"You can't get the No. 1 seed in the country unless you do a lot of things right," Jones said.

The other national seeds, in order, are: Georgia Tech (42-16), Nebraska (51-13), Baylor (39-21), Mississippi (44-18), defending champion Cal State Fullerton (41-15), Florida (40-20) and Oregon State (41-9). Those schools can only face each other if they advance to the College World Series.

"As long as you're one of the top eight seeds, you have a tremendous advantage to move ahead," NCAA Division I baseball committee chairman Charlie Carr said.

At least two teams with Alaska players will be in action during the tournament. Former Juneau-Douglas High School player Joe Ayers is a reserve infielder for Stanford, while former East Anchorage player Anton Maxwell is a left-handed starting pitcher for Oregon State.

Two other former Juneau players - infielder Zach Kohan of San Francisco and right-handed pitcher Dylan Hickey of Santa Clara - played for NCAA Division I teams this year, but their respective squads didn't make the NCAA tournament despite posting winning records.

Cal State Fullerton is trying to join Texas (1949-50), Southern California (1970-74), Stanford (1987-88) and Louisiana State (1996-97) as repeat national champions. The Titans open against Harvard, with Missouri and Arizona the other teams playing in their regional.

Teams that received top seeds in their regionals are: Clemson (39-21), Coastal Carolina (48-14), Florida State (50-18), Long Beach State (36-20), Louisiana State (38-20), Miami (38-17-1), Tennessee (41-19) and Texas (45-14). Each is hosting a regional, except for Coastal Carolina; Arizona State is hosting that one.

The winners of each regional will advance to the super regionals, played June 10-13. The eight winners of the super regionals will play in the College World Series, which starts June 17 in Omaha, Neb.

Juneau's Fuller homers in NAIA World Series game

LEWISTON, Idaho - Justin Fuller, a Juneau resident who graduated from high school in Lynnwood, Wash., homered and drove in four runs Monday. But it wasn't enough as Lewis-Clark State dropped an 11-10 decision to Oklahoma City.

Fuller, a senior who also scored two runs, hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the Warriors, who host the tournament. Fuller started at shortstop, but moved to second base after committing two errors.

On Friday, Fuller drove in a run as Lewis-Clark State edged Lee (Tenn.) 5-4 in the first round of the 10-team tourney.

There are six teams left in the bracket, and Lewis-Clark State plays Spalding, Ky., tonight for a chance to advance to the Final Four.

Kohan closes out rowing career at Washington

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - University of Washington senior Michael Kohan of Juneau rowed in the No. 2 seat Sunday as the Huskies finished sixth in the women's eight petite final at the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on Lake Natoma.

Kohan, a 2001 Juneau-Douglas High School graduate, completed her college rowing career with the race, which translated to 12th place overall among the varsity eight boats. Kohan didn't take up rowing until she started attending the University of Washington, but she spent two years in the varsity eight boat.